Opinion

From the critics

Community Activity

Comment

Do you have a family story you love to share? Oh brings together ten short stories by ten amazing authors about discovery, learning, family, a first crush, a new friend, writing and more. While teachers and parents will appreciate the forward, children will enjoy the stories such as one of a young girl who desperately wants a pet cat even though the orphaned cat doesn’t want her - clawing and hissing his way free. Oh reminds us that we all have stories like this that families share with everyone over and over. “But no matter what, our stories are unique, just like we are.” The first story by Matt De La Pena will pull you in with his writing style and story about a smart boy who discovers the Muni Gym in Balboa Park about an hour away from his pop’s job. He’s ready at 5am and his basketball game is about to change. But it’s the respect and honesty in this story and the other nine that will keep children reading more. From classroom experiences to playing wheelchair basketball (along with a few pirates!), children will find that “these stories celebrate the uniqueness in all of us.” The book is dedicated to Walter Dean Myers, “who believed that young people need to see themselves reflected in the pages of the books they read.” This reminds us all to listen, read, and write diverse stories. “So our work continues,” says Oh.

A collection of short stories as diverse as their authors. Edited by Ellen Oh, one of the creators of We Need Diverse Books, each story will engage you and move you. I especially loved Matt de la Peña's story of a young Mexican basketballer who believes the game will give him a better life and Tim Federle's story of Samantha, who finds her outcast self strangely connected to a new girl via a Secret Santa game.

So, so good. These are such fun stories, and they're all so different. I highly recommend the audiobook if you can get your hands on it, because each story is read by a different reader and they're all perfect. (Some of the authors read their stories!) Pick this up for summer, because you'll love it.

A wonderful collection of stories from We Need Diverse Books, full of realism and emotion. Flying Lessons has something in it for everyone, but my favorite story was Jacqueline Woodson's "Main Street". This collection is meant to be middle-grade, but older teens & adults will enjoy it as well!

I thought this was a great middle grade collection of short stories. Like any short story collection though there were some stories that didn't click with me and others that I completely adored. This book is beautiful, offers diverse voices, and some delightful situations. My favourite story in it was easily the one by Kwame Alexander, which I just thought was the perfect encapsulation of the middle grade experience. Definitely worth checking out!